Crunching the numbers on farm is not just about what the inputs cost, even more important is what outputs they help create.

Because that’s where you make money.

Which is how calculating their citrus input application costs – down to the dollar per hectare – helped the Sunraysia’s Pardo family maximise their return on investment. 

And it doesn’t always mean they choose the most affordable inputs.

Some growers can baulk at higher upfront costs without considering potential operational savings and, hence, the associated end cost.

The Pardos say they are always hunting for efficiencies and improved productivity, and gains in these areas can be of higher value than the cost difference between inputs.

Third generation grower Joseph Pardo and his father, Tony, have been producing oranges and mandarins on their Karadoc property, located near Nangiloc, since the 1970s.

Over time, they have expanded the orchard across the entire ‘Pardo Farms’ property, and today they have a lot of young trees starting from around two years of age - their oldest trees are around 30-35 years of age.

They grow early through too late maturing varieties, including M7 and Cara navel oranges, as well as seedless mandarins, all of which are predominantly exported.

When it comes to their nutrition, the Pardos work closely with Carlo Niutta of Nangiloc Ag Supplies and using their $/ha rule of thumb, they have become long-term users of the Haifa range of specialty fertilisers.

Some of the fertilisers include Multi-K potassium nitrate, the company’s magnesium nitrate products and its new chelated micronutrient range, as well as the high potassium foliar fertiliser Haifa Bonus.

“They are superior quality and everything dissolves,” Mr Pardo said.

“We use a fair bit of the Bonus. It’s already got pH buffers and wetter in it, so we don’t have to check the pH.

“A lot of people use standard potassium nitrate but I like the fact it has some P (phosphorus) built-in as well, so we don’t have to come back with further sprays later on. We don’t have to use MAP later and mix things separately because of any issues.

“The Bonus is very compatible and mixes with everything. We have mixed it with seaweed products and micro elements.

“We need these efficiencies and the savings from reducing passes and fuel, so we always bring costs back to a $/ha rather than looking at the $/bag (of fertiliser) – and with Bonus it was a no-brainer.”

Based on Haifa’s Multi-K potassium nitrate, Haifa Bonus is a highly efficient potassium foliar fertiliser containing pure, fully soluble nutrients and it is free of harmful compounds such as chloride, sodium, perchlorate and excessive sulphate.

It also features a specially developed adjuvant for better adhesion to leaf surfaces, improved absorption and prolonged action.

Mr Pardo confirms Haifa Bonus adheres to leaves well and its absorption continues with following morning dews.

“It certainly hangs around for a while,” he says.

“You do see some crystallisation that looks like a little bit of sugar at the bottom of the leaf, but that doesn’t affect anything.”

While Haifa Bonus has been popular with various growers, Mr Niutta said there is still strong potential for it to be more widely adopted throughout the Sunraysia region.

“It has those extra additives, it can be applied at higher concentrations, it stays on the plant, reactivates and it does a better job – and it saves growers time with other applications,” Mr Niutta said.

The Pardos adjust their applications of Haifa Bonus according to the particular crop and yield estimates. Younger trees can receive multiple applications at lower rates.

“Earlier applications also can be a benefit on certain varieties,” Mr Pardo said.

“You have the opportunity to push your fruit size to what you want with Bonus. You don’t want to over-crop and you have that flexibility to change,” he adds.

“We aim for medium to large size fruit – we don’t want marbles and we don’t want footballs.

“Bonus helps with the rind quality as well.”

Via their airblast sprayer, the Pardos generally apply Haifa Bonus at 2 per cent of the spray solution, however they have successfully applied higher rates up to 4-6pc of the spray solution when required.

“We’ve applied those rates in the heat as well and we’ve never had any issues with (leaf) burn,” he said.